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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Glendaliz Valdez, Director of Youth Development Programming at Committee for Hispanic Children and Families
8:06:21
·
116 sec
Glendaliz Valdez, representing the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families (CHCF), testified about their after-school and early childhood education programs, emphasizing the importance of community-based partnerships with schools and the need to address challenges in the early care and learning system.
- CHCF provides after-school programming in the Bronx and college/career readiness programs in Manhattan and the Bronx
- The organization supports efforts to baseline and increase investments in programs that strengthen school-community partnerships
- Valdez highlighted the need to address enrollment challenges, funding inequities, and resource gaps in early childhood education programs
Glendaliz Valdez
8:06:21
Good evening, chairs, Brennan and Joseph.
8:06:25
My name is Deandalise Valdez.
8:06:26
I'm the director of youth development programming at the committee for Hispanic children and families.
8:06:31
CHGF has delivered after school programming in partnership with three schools in The Bronx and college and career readiness programming to high school juniors and seniors at four schools in Manhattan and The Bronx.
8:06:42
Having delivered school based services in The Bronx for over twenty five years, we have built strong collaborative relationship with school leaders, and we are considered an integral part of the school team.
8:06:52
CACF offers enhanced interest and exploratory learning, ensuring that students are college and career ready and are inspired and equipped with twenty first century skills.
8:07:01
We have demonstrated that that the value add of connecting community based partners with schools to comprehensively meet the unique needs of students and their families, and we support efforts to baseline and increase investments in programs that strengthen these partnership.
8:07:15
CACF is deeply engaged in the New York City early care and learning system both as a child care resource and referral agency and as a contracted family child care network.
8:07:26
We have grown to support 40 affiliated programs to deliver high quality culturally responsive programming to 93 children.
8:07:33
We're happy that the executive budget restores and baselines three k, early childhood education extended day seats, and preschool special education classes.
8:07:42
As an organization that provides enrollment support for families, we continue to identify and mitigate barriers for families.
8:07:48
The city must address essential enrollment challenges.
8:07:51
This includes my city that failed to optimize all subsidies and care options for families.
8:07:57
The family child care network contracts end in 2026 and must be replaced through a new RFP, long standing funding, and contracting inequities impacting low income communities of color, immigrant communities, and a workforce largely composed of women of color and immigrant women must be addressed.
8:08:14
These disparities leads to resource gap for families and children in these programs